7911789

Disk Array System

PublishedMarch 22, 2011
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

Patent Claims
10 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.

1

1. A disk array system provided with a group of storage devices and a controller for controlling these devices, comprising: a basic chassis having openings in front and rear surfaces thereof and a backboard fixed at a midpoint in its interior; and a plurality of storage device modules, at least one controller module and two duplicated power source modules as modules installed by insertion/removal and fixation to a front part and a rear part of the backboard, wherein the controller module contains a controller substrate and a flow path is closed at a rear side surface of the chassis, and the power source module contains a power source unit and a fan unit disposed close to the rear side surface of the chassis at the back of the power source module and an exhaust hole area is provided in a rear side surface of the chassis, the plurality of storage device modules are installed in the front part, the two power source modules are installed in areas close to left and right side surfaces of the chassis in the rear part, and the controller module is disposed in areas between the two power source modules, a ventilation structure for cooling air between the controller module and the two power source modules is provided at positions near the fan units at the back of the power source modules, and by operation of the fan unit, cooling air taken from the chassis front surface in the front part passes through the storage device modules and is then supplied to the rear part through an opening hole of the backboard, and in the rear part, one first cooling air flows into the controller module and the other second cooling air flows into the two power source modules, and the first cooling air passes through an area of a plurality of cooling object components on the controller substrate in the controller module and flows into a vicinity of the fan units in the power source modules through the ventilation structure and is then drawn by the fan units, and the second cooling air passes through the power source units in the power source modules and is drawn by the fan units at the back thereof and is then exhausted outside from an area of the exhaust hole in the chassis rear side surface of the power source modules by the fan units.

2

2. The disk array system according to claim 1 , wherein the basic chassis has a first partition plate between the power source module and the controller module, and as the ventilation structure, an area of a ventilation hole is provided in a part of the first partition plate and its corresponding side surfaces of the power source module and the controller module so as to correspond to the position of the fan unit at the back of the power source module.

3

3. The disk array system according to claim 1 , wherein, as the storage device modules, a SAS-HDD module having a SAS HDD and a connector at a lower side of a rear surface thereof and a SATA-HDD module having a SATA interface HDD and a connector at a lower side of a rear surface thereof can be installed, and when the SATA-HDD module is to be installed, a path control board for an interface conversion of SAS and SATA is interposed and connected between the module and the backboard.

4

4. The disk array system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of storage device modules are installed in an upper area of the front part, and two duplicated battery modules and a panel module having an operation panel are installed in a lower area thereof, and a position and area of the opening hole of the backboard are designed so that the cooling air of the front part flows into the upper area of the plurality of storage device modules more than the lower area of the battery modules.

5

5. The disk array system according to claim 1 , wherein the fan unit has duplex fans disposed front and back and up and down in each of the two power source modules.

6

6. The disk array system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller has a CPU, a bridge, a data controller, a host interface unit, a disk interface unit, a SAS expander, and a cache memory, and the controller substrate includes the CPU, the bridge, the data controller, the SAS expander, and heat sinks installed thereon as the plurality of cooling object components.

7

7. The disk array system according to claim 1 , further comprising: an expanded chassis electrically connected to the basic chassis and having openings in front and rear surfaces thereof and a backboard fixed at a midpoint in its interior; and a plurality of storage device modules, two duplicated enclosure modules and two duplicated power source modules as modules installed by insertion/removal and fixation to a front part and a rear part of the backboard of the expanded chassis, wherein the enclosure module contains an enclosure substrate having a SAS expander, and the power source module of the expanded chassis contains a power source unit and a fan unit having a plurality of fans, and the plurality of storage device modules are installed in the front part of the expanded chassis, and the two enclosure modules are installed side by side in an upper area and the two power source modules are installed side by side in a lower area in the rear part.

8

8. A disk array system provided with a group of storage devices and a controller for controlling these devices, comprising: a basic chassis having openings in front and rear surfaces thereof and a backboard fixed at a midpoint in its interior; and a plurality of storage device modules, at least one controller module and two duplicated power source modules as modules installed by insertion/removal and fixation to a front part and a rear part of the backboard, wherein the controller module contains a controller substrate and a flow path is closed at a rear side surface of the chassis, and the power source module contains a power source unit and a fan unit disposed close to the rear side surface of the chassis at the back of the power source module and an exhaust hole area is provided in a rear side surface of the chassis, the plurality of storage device modules are installed in the front part, the two power source modules are installed in areas close to left and right side surfaces of the chassis in the rear part, and the controller module is disposed in areas between the two power source modules, a ventilation structure for cooling air between the controller module and the two power source modules is provided at positions near the fan units at the back of the power source modules, by operation of the fan unit, cooling air taken from the chassis front surface in the front part passes through the storage device modules and is then supplied to the rear part through an opening hole of the backboard, and in the rear part, one first cooling air flows into the controller module and the other second cooling air flows into the two power source modules, and the first cooling air passes through an area of a plurality of cooling object components on the controller substrate in the controller module and flows into a vicinity of the fan units in the power source modules through the ventilation structure and is then drawn by the fan units, and the second cooling air passes through the power source units in the power source modules and is drawn by the fan units at the back thereof and is then exhausted outside from an area of the exhaust hole in the chassis rear side surface of the power source modules by the fan units, the controller has an environment management unit, a temperature sensor is provided in the controller module, and the environment management unit performs a switching control so as to increase a rotation speed of the fan of the fan unit when a temperature detected by the temperature sensor becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature.

9

9. The disk array system according to claim 8 , wherein the environment management unit monitors and detects a state of the power source module and the fan unit, and when it is judged as a disconnected state or an abnormal state, it performs a switching control so as to increase the rotation speed of the fans of the fan unit in a normally connected state.

10

10. The disk array system according to claim 8 , further comprising: an expanded chassis electrically connected to the basic chassis and having openings in front and rear surfaces thereof and a backboard fixed at a midpoint in its interior; and a plurality of storage device modules, two duplicated enclosure modules and two duplicated power source modules as modules installed by insertion/removal and fixation to a front part and a rear part of the backboard of the expanded chassis, wherein the enclosure module contains an enclosure substrate having a SAS expander, and the power source module of the expanded chassis contains a power source unit and a fan unit having a plurality of fans, the plurality of storage device modules are installed in the front part of the expanded chassis, and the two enclosure modules are installed side by side in an upper area and the two power source modules are installed side by side in a lower area in the rear part, the enclosure has an environment management unit, a temperature sensor is provided in the enclosure module, and the environment management unit of the enclosure module performs a switching control so as to increase a rotation speed of the fan of the fan unit in the power source module of the expanded chassis when a temperature detected by the temperature sensor becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature.

Patent Metadata

Filing Date

Unknown

Publication Date

March 22, 2011

Inventors

Tsuyoshi Sasagawa
Hirokazu Takahashi
Takahiko Iwasaki
Taro Takahashi
Chikazu Yokoi

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